INSOMNIAC: ALAN SMITH #2 (Alan Smith series)

by ARKOPAUL DAS

‘We still don’t know who -- ’

  Ryan suddenly came out with a happy face just like Henderson’s was.

  ‘He was quite frank and he said everything’ said Ryan. ‘This is now onto the records and we will have no more problems putting him to justice’

  ‘That’s great Ryan’ said Henderson coming back to his original mood.

  Ryan quickly called a uniform, handed the files over to him and looked at him. ‘Are you new here?’

  ‘Yes, sir’

  ‘Anyway’ Ryan told him to keep the files in a specific chamber and he went away nodding.

  Alan was still quiet and Donovan was still inside the room smiling to himself.

  Seeing Alan quiet, Alicia had to ask at last ‘What’s up?’

  ‘No, nothing’

  ‘You don’t look happy’

  ‘I’m not’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because there’s nothing to be happy’

  ‘We’re on the verge of putting him behind the bars. Isn’t that enough reason to chill?’

  ‘Yeah, whatever’

  ‘Tell me if you have a problem’

  ‘Look I’ve a weird feeling’

  ‘Okay?’

  ‘This is all going too easy and is going too predictable. You see, we thought a lot, about how we’re going to do this, it was supposed to be a hard job. But now we got Donovan. Am I the only person who thinks that we've achieved this target too simply?’

  ‘Yeah it has been done. So what?’

  ‘I believe in a saying’

  ‘What saying?’

  ‘That, a case is like a mathematical equation, the more it seems easy, more the wrong way you are going in’

  ‘We’re not going in the wrong way’ said Henderson. ‘You can be assured about that’

  ‘Ok’

  ‘Yes’

  Kevin also now came out of the room, looking cool, while Donovan started adjusting his tie.

  ‘Okay, he said everything and his story fits in nicely’ said Kevin. ‘Ryan must have told you that. But he isn’t talking about one thing. Jade Carter’s murder’

  Ryan had also forgotten about this. Now he remembered and nodded.

  ‘What is he saying then?’ asked Henderson because he didn’t follow what he was saying from the speakers.

  ‘He says Jade Carter was already murdered when he came and he just changed the things that were with him. Now I can’t say if I should believe that’

  ‘What did he say to you Alan?’ Henderson turned to him.

  ‘This same thing’ he replied quietly.

  ‘Then what do you all think about his theory?’ Henderson looked at everyone.

  ‘I don’t know’ replied Alicia.

  ‘He’s telling the truth’ said Alan.

  ‘How can you be sure about that?’ asked Henderson.

  ‘Yes, what makes you so confident about it?’ repeated Ryan.

  ‘Why not?’ Alan started ‘Donovan talked about all the others murders and crimes he committed quite frankly. He knows that he’s going to prison anyway, so telling he also killed Jade Carter doesn’t make much difference? Does it? If he really killed him he would also have said that he did’

  ‘That’s a good point. He would have said it himself if he really killed Jade Carter’ said Ryan.

  ‘Good, your theory is rational’ Henderson pointed out. ‘I will go with it, but if he didn’t kill Jade Carter then we will have to ask the same question over and over again, who killed him?’

  ‘That was what I was thinking about’ said Alan. ‘That’s why I told you that the case is not yet solved’

  ‘So that remains a mystery till now’ said Kevin miserably.

  ‘You got to find that out now’

  ‘Yeah...’

  ‘Guys I think you’re forgetting something here’ said Alicia as they all looked at her with questioning faces. ‘What about the things Trevor said last night? Anyone thought about that?’

  ‘Oh, right’ said Ryan. ‘Alan, you wanted me to check the records’

  ‘Yes?’ said Alan.

  ‘And I did’ said Ryan happily. ‘Yes I did. I took a printout and kept it somewhere in some files...okay you all wait here, I will find it out’

  Ryan left.

  ‘What report are we talking about here?’ asked Henderson, as he didn’t know about this.

  ‘Trevor gave us some information about McRae last night, so I told Ryan to re-check it and make sure it’s right or not’ Alan answered.

  ‘So were they right?’

  ‘Wait, only Ryan can say that’

  ‘So what do we do about Donovan now?’ asked Kevin who was waiting for orders.

  ‘Show him his cell, why are we waiting?’ said Alan more casually than usual.

  Kevin soon called two more officers and asked them to wait outside. He went in, told Donovan to come out, and Donovan did follow him out nicely without giving him any trouble.

  Kevin turned to the officers and said ‘Take him to the 24, I think that’s clear for now. I will see if I can transfer him somewhere later’

  Kevin again made him wear the handcuff as he said ‘Is this really necessary?’

  ‘Maybe not Mr. Donovan’ said Kevin firmly. ‘But it is a part of our rules, and now would you be kind enough to follow this gentlemen who’d you take you to your room’

  Kevin signalled the men to take him away as they both came from the both sides, gripped him by his shoulders and started to push him away.

  ‘Wait a minute’ Alan said suddenly and came near Donovan as the men stopped pushing him. Alan deliberately reduced the gap between them and faced Donovan with a tough face. Donovan still had no reaction whatsoever.

  ‘I just wanted tell you a last thing’ said Alan softly. ‘The next time you send some men to kill me make sure they are not some rookie.’

  Donovan remained calm without showing any anger or emotion to this. He just gave him another half-hearted smile and said ‘Thanks for the advice Mr. Smith. I will’

  Both of them stared directly in their eyes trying to make out the thoughts of each other before Alan went back and asked the men to take him away. The two officers again took him by his shoulders and walked him away.

  Kevin turned to Alan. ‘He’s really calm isn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, the criminals are calm sometimes’ Henderson added.

  ‘He’s calm because he thinks too highly of himself’ said Alicia. ‘Or maybe he’s kind of a sociopath’

  ‘Both are possible’ agreed Kevin.

  ‘Who gives a damn if he’s a sociopath or not’ said Henderson. ‘At last we got him arrested and that’s all it matters’

  ‘Yes, you’re right boss’ said Kevin as he and Henderson laughed and gave a high five. Alicia also joined the fun this time, although most of the time she also remains serious about her case.

  Then suddenly the land phone in Henderson’s table buzzed as Henderson picked it up and talked for a few seconds, hung up and said ‘Man, now the media is gonna make a queue outside soon’

  ‘What’s the matter?’ asked Alicia.

  ‘Someone leaked the news about Donovan getting arrested to the press, and now the media is going berserk over it’

  ‘What do they want?’

  ‘They want a press conference with everyone related to this case’

  ‘Or else?’

  ‘Or else, they want an exclusive interview with the one who is leading the case. And they know about you Alan’ Henderson turned to Alan.

  But before Alan could say ‘Shit’ Kevin laughed. ‘Who cares, we will be on TV, man!’

  Everyone was excited and when Ryan came back with the files, he looked at them awkwardly and said ‘What did I miss?’

  ‘We just got Donovan behind the bars, we should celebrate this?’ said Henderson.

  ‘You’re right boss, you can never get another reason for celebrating than this’

  ‘Yes that’s true’ Ryan also joined them. ‘This is our pride’

>   ‘Yup! Where do you wanna start this celebration?’ asked Kevin looking at everyone.

  ‘Can I give a suggestion?’ said Alan.

  ‘Oh sure, you’re the leader, you tell us!’ Henderson again turned to him.

  ‘Why don’t we start with the files that Ryan bought?’

  Everyone became quiet again understanding what Alan meant.

  ‘You bought the files Ryan?’ Alan said.

  ‘Right, yes’ Ryan opened the page and went on. ‘Should I say that his records are not as clean as you would have expected.’

  ‘I didn’t expect it to be clean’ clarified Alan.

  ‘So what’s in it?’ asked Alicia.

  ‘Here it is’ Ryan said this more to himself. ‘Allegedly shot four uniforms and a patrol officer’

  ‘McRae did this?’ asked Henderson who also understood that this was important than the celebration.

  ‘Yes these are the criminal records’

  ‘So he did this?’

  ‘Yes’

  ‘Trevor was right then’ said Kevin. ‘He is a lunatic.’

  ‘So that’s true he’s a lunatic?’ Alicia asked Ryan.

  ‘Yup!’

  ‘He certainly doesn’t look like one’ said Henderson.

  ‘Anyway’ Alan interrupted Henderson and Kevin as they were steering the conversation in another way. ‘What more is there?’

  ‘He was arrested and was taken to 28th precinct’

  ‘And he was not put to trial?’

  ‘No he wasn’t’ said Ryan and looked at the file more carefully. ‘Before that, his behaviour was said to be more violent so was his physical condition, he looked pathetic, that’s why he was transferred to a rehabilitation centre for the time being’

  ‘So he was suffering from some mental disease or something?’ asked Kevin.

  ‘Yes that’s right’ said Ryan and went on. ‘Okay let me tell you the whole thing in brief. When he was arrested, his condition deteriorated so he was transferred to a rehabilitation centre. But still there was no real improvement so he was transferred to a asylum...well not a asylum it’s more of a hospital. That’s when he was diagnosed with acute schizophrenia’

  ‘So where is this asylum?’ asked Alicia.

  ‘This is not an asylum’ Ryan corrected again. ‘This is a hospital. It’s the Manhattan Psychiatric centre. It’s located on’ Ryan flipped the file to the next page. ‘It’s located on the 125th street on the Wards Island’

  ‘And what is this schizophrenia? asked Henderson.

  ‘I’m not any doctor. I can’t say that. But I can understand that it’s some form of serious mental illness.’ Ryan started checking the files again in case there was any more information left in it to be said.

  ‘So that’s why he shot 5 cops?’ asked Henderson again . ‘Because of this schizophrenia?’

  ‘Got to be so’

  ‘Is he okay now?’ asked Henderson again. ‘Look if he really is a mental patient then we can’t just let him roam around like this, he might harm anyone’

  ‘See, this reports are of five years back, and the report is incomplete. So I guess maybe there are few more things, which are not given here’

  ‘Okay, then how can we get all the rest of the information?’ asked Alicia.

  ‘Maybe by paying a visit to the hospital’

  ‘Oh, man so this starts again then!’ Kevin was disappointed that the investigation was starting again and again.

  ‘But what does all this have to do with the case?’ Henderson was still not sure about what was going on.

  ‘Might be everything or nothing’ said Alan. ‘We should go to the hospital and talk to the doctor who treated him and see if we can get a better picture of this man McRae’

  ‘But why should we be running behind a lunatic?’ said Henderson. ‘Do you think he is the killer?’

  ‘I can’t say I’m sure about this, but I would have checked it out anyway’ Ryan said.

  ‘I also agree’ Alan said and moved towards the stair as they were already in the 1st floor. ‘Anyone care to join me?’

  ‘I’ll get my car’ said Ryan.

  THIRTY SEVEN

  The streets were clear as Ryan accelerated the car heavily, he wasn’t sure if the hospital would be on the long islands side or, how he would reach the Wards island. Alan opened the map in his mobile and got the clear route of it.

  After passing the Randall’s park, Ryan drove slowly looking at the sides if he could notice the hospital through the River Edge Road and pulled over near a broad building. They all soon came out and walked through the green areas and entered the compound of the psychiatric building. It had three definite buildings attached in a way as if it looked like one, but it served three different purposes.

  It looked like a flat large skyscraper of brick colour and Small Square shaped black windows like pores peeking out of its body. Except all these, the building was not very tall but it was wider.

  They didn’t know where to go so they asked a man about that, and he showed them the gate of the main building at the front.

  So they soon entered the hallway of the main building and instantly got a cringing smell on their noses like when you mix chemicals or potassium with something. That was why they hated hospitals, this smell it was terrible.

  Anyway, they moved towards the table of the reception and Kevin was nearly being bumped with a man who was rolling a stretcher down the lawn, and hopefully there was no patient in it.

  Alan showed the badge to the man on the table and he eyed them with a suspicious face and said ‘Is there a problem?’

  ‘There is. But only for us’ said Alan. ‘So we believe that there was a patient who lived here, say five years ago and –’

  ‘What was his name, sir?’ asked the man interrupting Alan.

  ‘We don’t know his name; we only know his last name that is McRae’

  ‘Five years back you said?’

  ‘That’s right’

  ‘What kind of problem did he have?’

  ‘We heard he had schizophr –,

  ‘Okay I got it. So you want to know something about him?’ the man made a serious face.

  ‘Umm, yes?’

  ‘I’m afraid that’s not possible sir, we don’t disclose any private information about our patients to a –’

  Kevin suddenly came forward and banged his fist on the table making every faces turn at him. .

  ‘Look’ Kevin said ‘We’re investigating a homicide case and we are in a critical position right now. We have no time to waste. And this man who was a patient here five years back can be a murderer. So now that you’ve heard everything, you better get your ass moving before I take any further actions!’

  The man was taken aback; he knew it would be better not to argue with this man at least. He stood up and said ‘Wait here, please. I will be back in a minute’ he walked inside the long straight lawn to the left.

  As he left, they all turned and looked around the area. Someone was shouting meaningless words from somewhere they could not see. Another mal-nutritioned man sat on the iron chair at the main gate side with a pale face and a nurse was trying to poke him with a syringe. Another one was acting like a maniac, while another nurse tried to calm him down giving him a sedative. More doctors came and went by, no one looked busy, and neither did they look like they had all the time in the world with them. Two men took a stretcher with them to the other side and turned away and the bed contained a man or better say a corpse, or it looked like one at least.

  ‘This is too sick man’ said Ryan. ‘I feel like puking’

  ‘Don’t’ advised Alan. ‘They will think that you’re also a patient’

  ‘You’re right’

  The man came back after five minutes, which seemed like an hour and five minutes to them.

  ‘Okay so I checked in with the patient’ he said with a miserable face ‘But I’m afraid there is no information on this name in our database’

  ‘That means you’re te
lling that you can’t help us?’ asked Alicia.

  ‘Yes and no’ said the man scanning all their faces as if they were also some sort of lunatic. ‘But I found out the ward he was in and the doctor he was getting treated by. So if you want any information, you should talk to his doctor’

  ‘Where can we meet him?’ said Alicia.

  ‘Okay let me check’ the man called someone from his mobile, and after a minute he started asking someone about the doctor.

  Then he kept the mobile down on the table and said ‘Dr. Hopkins is always busy, you know. But today is your lucky day; he’s free for an hour’

  ‘Okay where can we meet him?’ Alicia repeated again.

  ‘Third floor straight to the right’ said the man.

  ‘Thank you’

  They rushed to the straight lawn to the left without saying anything else. They walked straight through the long corridor and noticed more patient seated on the black coloured benches on one side , more stretchers, more medical equipment and all the same things. The sick feeling in their body increased but they walked normally.

  They found the stairs at the end and they took it without searching for the elevator. When they reached the third floor, they felt tired and exhausted.

  This corridor was more deserted and was more dimly light. And there was no windows which would let the sunlight in, if you are here for a day you will never able to predict if it was morning or night outside. The lights were also dimly lit and anyone living here in the night would get scared to death with every noise he hears.

  ‘How the hell do the people live in this place?’ Ryan queried. ‘I will go mental if I fail to escape from this place within an hour’

  ‘The people here are already mentally disabled, so they can’t go anymore mad’ Alan answered softly fearing his voice might echo everywhere, but it didn’t.

  ‘What about the normal ones? Like the doctors?’

  ‘They are doctors, if they go mental they can treat themselves back to their normal state, I guess that’s how they survive’

  ‘I see’

  ‘Here’ said Alicia as she pointed at the half-opened door to the left side. ‘This one, I think’

  They knocked the door lightly and instantly heard a sound form inside saying ‘It’s open, come in’

  They all went inside to find a man in his late sixties, half bald head except some lines of greyish hair over his ears and his face looked perpendicular, he wore glasses that was coming down his nose and he had to push it to the original place. He wore a long white gown, a blue shirt, and black trousers underneath it.